Legal / Patriotic

Travis Atkins didn't hesitate the June morning when he saw the insurgent reach for a suicide vest underneath his clothing. With his fellow Soldiers mere feet away, Atkins knew he had to act quickly before the enemy's bomb detonated.

The staff sergeant wrapped his arms and body around the insurgent to shield three Soldiers from the brunt of explosion.

Sgt. (R) Daniel Cowart was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest medal for valor, during a ceremony conducted March 20 on Fort Hood.

Cowart, a former member of 3rd Armored Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, was originally awarded the Silver Star for his actions in May, 2007 in Samara, Iraq, but following a comprehensive review of awards by the Army, it was upgraded.

KURE BEACH, N.C. - Children of National Guard services members have a unique experience. They are not fully Army or Air Force brats as children of active duty service members call themselves, but they do have to deal with their parents being away for training one weekend a month, annual training in the summer, and other missions or deployments they are called to support.

A group of North Carolina National Guard children recently had an opportunity to spend time with kids just like them during the Sleeping With the Fishes event March 23, at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Provisions allowing Guard members to transfer some or all of their Post- 9/11 GI Bill benefits to their spouse or children are set to change, limiting the timeframe Soldiers and Airmen can transfer those benefits.

"You have to have a minimum of six years [in service] in order to be eligible to transfer benefits, and after 16 years you're no longer eligible," said Don Sutton, GI Bill program manager with the Army National Guard, describing the changes set to go into effect July 12.

We all know being in a military family doesn’t come without some complications. And the key to surviving is flexibility. Whether your spouse is deployed for months, you have to cancel family vacations/plans last minute, or you and your family are constantly uprooting your lives to live at the newest duty station, it’s all part of the lifestyle. Well you’re not alone, and we are all searching for tips to make our time under contract a little easier. Below are a few helpful tips to prepare you and your family for your next move!

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Now through April 19, military spouses can apply for the opportunity to earn a free financial counselor accreditation to help them find employment at any military installation or in the civilian sector.

The FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program offers this career-enhancing credential to military spouses so they may in turn provide financial counseling and education to fellow members of the military community.

The program provides a clear pathway for participants to obtain an Accredited Financial Counselor designation, said Jennifer Chambers, a Baumholder military spouse who is currently enrolled in the program.

WASHINGTON -- All four military services of the U.S. Department of Defense are preparing a joint Tenant Bill of Rights in an effort to ensure service members and their families have safe, quality homes and communities, and clear rights while living in them. It is intended to increase the accountability of privatized housing companies by putting more oversight authority in the hands of local military leaders.

All three service secretaries have seen firsthand and reviewed problems in housing units, and the Tenant Bill of Rights is intended to help remedy them by both protecting and empowering service members and their families.

The Tenant Bill of Rights will be enforced through renegotiated leases with the privatized housing companies. The Bills of Rights will be implemented in the coming weeks.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, captured the essence and importance of reading with this simple quote. Whether it is learning the art of how to read or reading to learn important information, engaging children to read is key. The fundamental skill of reading can be difficult for some children. Finding ways to make the reading experience enjoyable can influence a child’s reading success.

WASHINGTON -- Lt. Col. Saunya N. Bright has been in the Air Force 18 years. During that time, she said, the food in military dining facilities has improved dramatically in terms of nutritional value and healthy eating choices.

Bright, a dietitian with the Air Force Medical Support Agency in Falls Church, Virginia, spoke at a Pentagon health fair yesterday and offered some tips to good eating.

CAMP PENDLETON, CA -- With its vast training areas and prime location along California’s shorelines, Camp Pendleton is well known for producing the finest fighting forces on the West Coast. What Camp Pendleton might be less known for, however, is that it has been a backdrop to some of America’s most famous films. Throughout Camp Pendleton’s history, multiple movie producers have utilized its training grounds over Hollywood sets to recreate authentic war scenes of our Country’s most famous battles.

“[Working with the entertainment industry] gives us an opportunity to showcase assets and capabilities that are available to production companies,” said U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Katesha Washington, Entertainment Media Liaison Office (EMLO). “It allows us also to accomplish our mission of telling the story of Marines.”

WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it will celebrate the start of Women’s History Month in March with a kickoff event on March 6, from 2-4 p.m. at the Women in Military Service for America (WIMSA) Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Sponsored by VA’s Center for Women’s Veterans, the event will feature 15 women Veterans representing all branches of military service in a 2019 campaign titled “Trailblazers: Women Breaking Barriers,” celebrating the contributions of women Veterans in honor of Women’s History Month and continuing through the rest of the year.

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2017 The Veterans Affairs and Defense departments are introducing to service members who have Servicemembers Group Life Insurance an online enrollment system called the SGLI On-line Enrollment System that enables active duty and eligible reserve and National Guard members to manage their group and family coverage online.

SGLI provides $400,000 in automatic life insurance coverage to service members when they enlist. SGLI members get automatic coverage for dependent children and non-military spouses under the family SGLI program.

While in high school, Josiah Hernandez came to a difficult crossroads in his young life. Twenty credits short of graduation and struggling with academic and self discipline, he dropped out. Just a few months later, in search of direction, he found the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program.

Job Corps was a second chance for Josiah. He used it to set his life on a path toward prosperity.

The mission of the course is to provide the Marine corporal with the education and leadership skills necessary to lead Marines. The local battalion chooses to send Sailors integrated into their platoons through the course, as well, promoting unit cohesion and leadership abilities.

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy junior officers interested in serving as a White House social aide can now apply through April 30.

The White House social aides have supported presidents and first ladies since the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, and are represented by all branches of the military. They help manage guests who attend social functions at the White House, and also facilitate interactions with the president and first lady.

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2017 — The selection of the 2017 Women’s History Month theme, “Honoring Trailblazing Women,” falls in perfect harmony with the centennial anniversary of the first enlisted woman to enter into military service. The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services and the Veteran Affairs Center for Women Veterans co-hosted an event at the Women in Military Service for American Memorial yesterday, celebrating the historic enlistment of Loretta P. Walsh, March 21, 1917, exactly 100 years ago to the day.

In the spring of 1917, the United States began preparing for the inevitability of war. However, men were not enlisting in sufficient numbers. On March 19, 1917, Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels determined that women could be enrolled in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force and issued an order authorizing their enlistment.

The jobless rate for all veterans edged down to 4.3 percent in 2016 from 4.6 percent in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recently released annual Employment Situation for Veterans. This continues a downward trend from the peak of the recession in 2011, and brings the veteran unemployment rate near pre-recession levels.

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Supply Systems Command Global Logistics Support (NAVSUP GLS) Household Goods (HHG) added 15 more webinars to its series of live, interactive webinars that assist Sailors and their families in facilitating military moves, March 10.

The total number of webinars offered since Jan. 10 is 65, up from the original 50 scheduled early this year.

VA’s rule establishes presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure to contaminants in water supply at Camp Lejeune VA to provide disability benefits for related diseases

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight diseases associated with exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, are effective as of today.

Forty-seven year old, retired Marine Maj. Shalisa Davis, returned to Quantico Marine Corps Information Operations Center, where she works, after becoming the first African American woman to finish seven marathons in seven days across seven continents.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- The standard issue combat boot most Soldiers wear today, the one most commonly worn in Iraq and Afghanistan, is great for sandy dunes, hot dry weather, and asphalt. But it's proven not so good in hot and wet environments. So the Army has developed a new jungle boot that some Soldiers will see this year.

In September, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley directed the Army to come up with a plan to outfit two full brigade combat teams in Hawaii, part of the 25th Infantry Division there, with a jungle boot. The Army had already been testing commercial jungle boots at the time -- with mixed results -- but didn't have a specialized jungle boot, so Program Executive Officer Soldier, headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, had to get a plan together to make it happen.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., March 2, 2017 — Transitioning out of the military can be a difficult and stressful time for service members. Many go back to their hometowns to be with their families, while others find work in the area of their last duty station.

Planning for life after the military is one of the key elements in a smooth transition. For retired Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Junior Hamilton, this means exchanging his uniform for business attire.

WASHINGTON - Military Outreach USA, a partner of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), recently launched a program to encourage communities to connect with local VA facilities and help VA provide support to homeless or recently homeless Veterans and their families.

The Adopt-a-VA program, which began in February, connects individuals and community organizations, such as schools, faith-based groups and businesses, with a local VA Homeless Program case manager at the VA Medical Center or community-based outpatient clinic in their area to help meet Veterans' non-medical needs.

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md., March 3, 2017 - Following the last of the female yeomen leaving active duty at the end of World War I, only a small number of Navy nurses represented their gender in naval service. But World War II would change all of that. In the early 1940s, the Navy prepared to accept not only a large number of enlisted women, but also the first female commissioned officers who would supervise them.

On July 30, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Navy Women’s Reserve Act into law, creating what was commonly known as the WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — a division of the U.S. Navy created during World War II to free up male personnel for sea duty. Little did anyone know that the resulting influx of women in the U.S. Navy would last far beyond the World War II “emergency” for which they had been recruited.

Imagine if you drove trucks for the military in some of the world's most dangerous and challenging terrain, in every kind of weather, day and night. After years of serving your country, you decide you want to go home, be closer to family and get back to work.

As you begin to transition from service, you make a surprising discovery: Suddenly, it doesn't matter that you were promoted three times, won service medals and logged hundreds of thousands of miles driving. Employers require you to re-certify and re-train for the very same work you performed in the military. Even though you've got the skills, it's hard to get a foot in the door. For too many veterans, this is a real problem.

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- "How can history inform our maritime strategy today?" Your answer to that question may be the basis for an entry in the Chief of Naval Operations 2017 Naval History Essay Contest, recently announced in NAVADMIN 024/17.

According to the message, CNO Adm. John Richardson directed the contest to further understanding of how lessons from history inform the Navy's way ahead.

Congratulations! You just found out your next duty station is in a land far, far away. Your excitement for new adventures may be tempered by questions about what life will be like in a new location and how you’ll get your family there. The good news is that there are resources available to assist families just like yours. Start with a Military OneSource spouse relocation and transition consultation. The consultant can:

Many service members and their families benefit from the multitude of state laws passed each year. Who is responsible for working at the state level to address the specific needs of military families?

The answer to that question is the Defense State Liaison Office. The DSLO, located in Washington, D.C., was established in 2004 by the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. At that time, the department did not have processes to resolve state issues for service members and their families. DSLO was established to “level the playing field” and remove barriers for service members and their families. As the department continues to transform service member and family support programs, DSLO also provides an opportunity to forge new ways of addressing requirements and aligning support with the programs implemented by states and communities.

Would you like to spend time whitewater rafting, hiking, rock climbing, winter camping, backpacking, exploring the environment, running ropes courses, or practicing wilderness skills? What if you could do these activities with other military youth just like you?

Military teens (14-18 years old of Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and Retired personnel) will have an opportunity to participate in adventure camps scheduled May 2016 through February 2017 at little to no cost. These high energy, high adventure, and high experience camps are planned across the United States from Washington to New York and the states in between. This is the perfect chance for you to experience the outdoors as you never have before!

When school's out for summer, it's helpful to have some activities planned to keep your kids busy, engaged and having fun. Department of Defense summer camps may be a great addition to your child's summer lineup. Make it a summer to remember by checking out these potential camping experiences:

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2017 Even after 100 years, the world still feels the effects of what was known at the time as The Great War.

The current situation in the Middle East owes much to the divisions imposed on the region as a result of World War I. The U.S. civil rights effort grew out of the segregation and discrimination African-Americans were subjected to as they strove to serve their country in combat.

WASHINGTON — Researchers know of aspirin’s benefits in preventing certain ailments — from cardiovascular disease to most recently colorectal cancer. But while the link to those two conditions was made, researchers also questioned how and if this “wonder drug” could work to ward off other types of cancers.

Thanks to a team led by Dr. Vinod Vijayan at the DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Houston and Dr. Lenard Lichtenberger of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, new studies verify their theory of cancer-prevention benefits based on aspirin’s effects on platelets—blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. The findings appear in the February 2017 issue of Cancer Prevention Research journal.

Currently available to unrestricted line, Information Dominance Corps and Supply Corps officer designators, the Olmsted program is a unique scholarship opportunity offering two years of graduate study using a foreign language, while providing overseas cultural and travel opportunities and often leading to a graduate degree at a foreign university.

Since privatization, Service members who live in military housing communities were automatically provided renter's insurance through the terms of their lease agreement with property management companies who were compensated through monthly BAH allotments for rent, utilities and renters insurance.

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2015 - Defense Secretary Ash Carter recognized several U.S. service members today for their service in Afghanistan and their families for their sacrifices as he hosted the Afghan president and chief executive here.

During a Pentagon center courtyard ceremony, Carter, alongside Secretary of State John F. Kerry, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, paid tribute to U.S. troops, their families, civilians, and thousands of contractors who have served in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2015 - Operation Freedom's Sentinel is now a qualifying operation for award of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to a Defense Department news release.

In a memorandum signed yesterday, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright approved award of Global War on Terrorism Medals for Operation Freedom's Sentinel, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2015, the release said.

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2015 - They greeted troops in places including Afghanistan, Bahrain and Diego Garcia, performed on an aircraft carrier as jets took off for missions in Iraq and Syria, and saw the Korean demilitarized zone where American troops serve.

The Vice Squad USO World Tour took participants literally to the front lines where members of the U.S. military serve to protect America, said Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

DALLAS - The Army & Air Force Exchange Service knows that for Soldiers and Airmen, there truly is no place like home. With this in the mind, the Exchange is offering one lucky winner a home makeover valued at $18,000.

The $18,000 Home Makeover Giveaway is part of the Exchange's Because of You program, a yearlong effort to recognize and reward service members for their sacrifice and dedication to our country. One grand-prize winner will receive:

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., March 27, 2014 - Children in military families move six to nine times between kindergarten and high school, and a mobile app launched in December can help them cope with leaving a familiar place for the unknown.

The Big Moving Adventure app lets children create a Muppet friend to help them through the moving process.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 24, 2014 - As the United States continues to support the search for the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, the Navy is sending a towed pinger locator, as well as a Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, to Perth, Australia, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.

The pinger could be used to locate the missing airliner's black box, while the autonomous underwater vehicle has sophisticated sonars that could be used to locate wreckage. Malaysian officials said evidence points to the plane crashing in the Indian Ocean west of Australia.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 19, 2014 - Twenty-four U.S. Army veterans from three wars -- World War II, Korea and Vietnam -- received upgrades to the highest military decoration for uncommon bravery and gallantry at a White House ceremony yesterday.

President Barack Obama presented posthumous Medals of Honor to family members and representatives of 21 of those soldiers, and draped the sky-blue ribbon and five-pointed star-bearing medals around the necks of the three living veterans from the Vietnam War.

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, were recently accounted for and will be buried in a group burial ceremony.

Army Staff Sgt. Lawrence Woods of Clarksville, Tenn., will be buried as part of group on March 21, at Arlington National Cemetery, in a ceremony honoring the servicemen who were lost in an aircraft crash on Oct. 24, 1964.

WASHINGTON, Mar. 18, 2014 - Social Security claims from veterans with a Veterans Affairs Department disability compensation rating of 100 percent permanent and total have a new process that will treat their applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions.

Carolyn W. Colvin, acting Social Security commissioner, said the new process is similar to the way the agency currently handles disability claims from wounded warriors.

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